Sick Days
by coffeeinanebula
Summary: Sharon gets sick, but Andy's there to take care of her.
1. Chapter 1

He could tell something was off about her. From the way she seemed to drag herself into work and into her office to the careful way she spoke and moved. He was hesitant to say anything, knowing she would tell him if it was anything concerning. He was still worried as he watched her while they wrapped up their latest case. The rest of the team was eager to leave as soon as it was closed, but he lingered back as he usually did. He stepped into her office without knocking and found himself confronted with a sight he never expected. Sharon's head rested on her arm on her desk and an occasional cough shook her body.

"Sharon?" He stepped closer and realized she was asleep, her glasses pressed against her arm. "Sharon, sweetheart." He gently shook her arm and she jerked upright, immediately attempting to smooth out her hair and fix her glasses. It did nothing to help the flush and lines on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Yeah, fine." She murmured, her voice still drowsy.

"You were sleeping. In your office." He started at her and lightly rubbed her arm before pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. "And you feel really warm. Let me take you home."

She seemed to debate it for a moment and then nodded, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Before she could move more, he grabbed her jacket and purse and wrapped his other arm around her to help steady her.

"Andy..." she tried to push his arm away, but he only held her closer.

"You look like you're ready to pass out, Sharon. Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"Because I'm fine," she retorted immediately, but a series of harsh coughs cut off any further words.

"Yeah, sounds real fine to me," he grumbled, shifting her stuff so he could help her to the elevator.

He managed to get her home, in pajamas, and in bed with few retorts. He made sure she was bundled up under blankets before he went in search of medication and some water. He returned to find her sitting up, coughing into the crook of her arm. When she looked up, she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, sweetheart..." He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and gently wiped her tears away before measuring out the medication and handing it to her. Her hand shook a little as she swallowed it, pulling a disgusted face before she handed the plastic container back to him. "I know, it's awful."

"It's worse than awful," she replied softly, her voice breaking a little.

"I'm sorry." He rubbed her arm and set the container down before grabbing the water. He helped her sip it before setting it aside too and stretching out beside her.

"Andy, you'll get sick..."

"Oh, you admit you're sick?" He gave her a small smile and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"Quiet, you." She closed her eyes and shifted so her head rested against his chest.

"Do you need anything?"

"More blankets."

He sat up and grabbed the extra blankets at the foot of their bed, and pulled them over her. He made sure they were tucked close and then he wrapped his arms around her to hold her against his chest. "Better?"

"Much." She shifted just a little bit closer and he felt her finally start to relax against him save for the more than occasional coughing fits. "You're still going to get sick."

"I'm not leaving you alone and I'm sure I'll survive. Besides, you don't want Rusty getting sick either." He kissed her head and rubbed her arm. "Now hush and get some rest. You can take more cough syrup in four hours and I'll wake you up then."

"I'm not going to sleep for four hours," she mumbled, but he could tell she was already starting to drift off.

"We'll see," he hummed, still rubbing her arm as he watched her fall asleep. With the way her cough was, he knew she wouldn't sleep long uninterrupted, but he knew whatever rest she could get would help.

He drifted to sleep too and the bed was empty when he woke. Concerned, he sat up and looked around, noises from the bathroom finally alerting him to where Sharon had moved to. He found her leaning against the toilet, shivering and covered in a thin coat of sweat. He grabbed her water off the nightstand and came back to kneel beside her, ignoring how his knees creaked a little. He held the cup while she rinsed out her mouth and flushed the toilet, his other hand resting on her back.

"Let's get you back to bed," he murmured, stroking her hair back from her face and then feeling her forehead. "You're still warm."

"I'm cold," she whispered hoarsely, her forehead resting against the toilet seat.

"More reason to get you in bed." He stood up and then gathered her into his arms, carrying her back into the bedroom. He tucked her in again and kissed her head. "It's too soon for more medication, but I'll get you more water."

He lingered a moment to watch her cough, wishing there was more he could do to help. He grabbed her cup and walked into the kitchen, offering Rusty a small smile.

"Hey, is everything okay? I thought I heard someone throwing up." Rusty pulled some leftovers from the fridge and looked at him.

"Your mom's sick, but she'll be okay. Just getting her some more water." He filled up her glass as he spoke, keeping an eye on the kid.

"Oh. Does she need anything?" Rusty leaned against the counter while he waited for his food to heat up.

"I think she's good. Do we have any soup leftover?"

"No, I finished it off last night." Rusty smiled sheepishly and grabbed his food from the microwave before it could ding.

"I'll run to the store later and get some. We'll probably need another thing of cough syrup too." He wrinkled his nose and filled another glass with water for himself.

"I'll do that. So she's not left alone." He shrugged and looked at Andy. "Just let me eat first."

"Thanks, kid."

He patted Rusty's shoulder as he walked by him, returning to the bedroom to find Sharon surprisingly asleep again. He set the glasses down and crawled into bed, making sure she was still bundled up in blankets. He wrapped his arm around her and she groaned softly in her sleep.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. "We'll get you feeling better soon."


	2. Chapter 2

Andy stayed with Sharon for two days, keeping track of when she could take medication and always making sure she had anything she needed. After the second day, her hoarse voice that could barely manage a sentence without a coughing fit insisted he didn't need to take more of his days off. Reluctantly, he got dressed the next morning and went to work after making sure her medications were lined up on the nightstand.

When he returned home from work that evening, he found a bundle of blankets on the couch. Buried beneath the blankets, he could barely making out the top of Sharon's head, her glasses resting on the coffee table.

"Hey…" He spoke softly, unsure if she was awake or not. He was more concerned about why she was out of bed to begin with. When she didn't stir, he moved closer and sat beside the bundle of blankets. He felt along the bundle until he found her arm and squeezed it gently. "Sharon, sweetheart." She finally shifted, only pulling the blankets closer as she coughed. "I'll carry you to bed."

She shifted again, this time stretching her arms out under the blankets and groaning as she curled back up. She murmured a hoarse response he didn't understand a word of, but he smiled and kissed her head.

"When did you get home?" She tried again, rubbing at her eyes before she looked at him. Her voice sounded worse than that morning and he winced in sympathy.

"Few minutes ago. Why aren't you in bed?" He rubbed her arm and then pressed his hand to her forehead to judge her fever. "You're still warm."

"Time for more medicine," she murmured, her eyes sliding closed.

"Looks like it is." He smiled a little and adjusted the blankets around her. "I'll grab it out of the bedroom and make you some tea."

"Thank you." She gave him a weak smile and slowly shifted so she was sitting up a little more.

"Just don't go anywhere, okay? I leave you alone for a few hours and you wander out of the bedroom," he teased.

"I needed to move…" She started coughing again and he rubbed her back until it passed, a sigh slipping from his lips.

"Well, just wait here. I'll be right back." He stood up and kissed her head before he walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove.

Within ten minutes, Sharon had another dose of medication and was sitting up against him with a mug of tea clasped in her hands. Andy kept his arm around her, partially to help hold her upright. He kept his other hand free to grab her tea whenever a coughing fit started, wishing there was more he could do to help.

"Do you think you can handle anything to eat?" he asked once she made her way through half of her tea.

She was quiet for a moment and then nodded. "Soup? Something light."

"There's still some of the chicken noodle soup Rusty made for you. I'll go warm it up for you." He smiled and carefully pulled his arm back, shifting to the edge of the couch.

"What about you?" He looked back at her, his brow furrowed a little. "You won't eat the soup."

His smile returned and he leaned to kiss her forehead before he stood up, fixing the blankets he shifted with his movements. "There's leftovers in there. Don't worry about me, honey."

She nodded again and sipped at her tea, her small body completely wrapped up in the blankets. He watched her for a moment before he moved into the kitchen to heat up their dinner.

When he returned to the couch, he wasn't surprised to find Sharon barely awake. He managed to wake her up long enough to finish off half her soup before she was asleep against him, her head resting in his lap and his hand rubbing along her arm. His food was abandoned on the coffee table by Sharon's tea and glasses but he didn't mind, content with running his fingers through her hair. He alternated between watching her and watching the game.

Rusty came home not later, the door slamming shut behind him and then his bag thudding loudly to the ground. Andy looked up with a complaint on his lips, but Rusty's apology was on his face as soon as he walked into the room.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't think you'd be out here…." He walked over to the couch and leaned over to see Sharon. "Did I wake her?"

"No, she's out. Took a dose of cough medicine an hour ago." He continued running his fingers through her hair, occasionally brushing them across her forehead.

"Oh. Okay. Is she okay?" Rusty lingered a little longer to watch his mom sleep, his brow furrowed in concerned.

"Yeah, she's okay. Just trying to break her fever and then we'll work on the cough." He looked up at Rusty and smiled reassuringly. "It's probably just some viral thing, nothing to be worried about."

Rusty nodded after a moment and stepped back from the couch. "Just let me know if I can get anything. More medicine or whatever."

"Of course. There's not much in the way of food in there," he gestured to the kitchen, "so I'll probably go tomorrow after work depending on how she's feeling."

"I ate with Gus so…" Rusty shrugged and slowly started backing toward the hallway. Andy stifled a laugh and continued stroking Sharon's arm.

Instead of responding, he merely nodded and turned his attention back to Sharon to find her cloudy green eyes looking up at him. He smiled and stroked her cheek.

"Hi, there," he murmured. She offered a small smile in return. "How are you feeling?"

"Mhmm. Head hurts." She rubbed her hands over her face and coughed.

"Do you feel up to a shower? The steam should help clear everything up and then we can bundle you up in bed. I'll even pull your heating blanket out of the closet for you."

"You make a good deal, Mr. Flynn."

"You must be feeling a little better," he teased, kissing her cheek before he helped her up.

"Chest is still tight, but I think all the medication is really kicking in." She pushed the blankets off her lap and looked at him.

"It's about time. Your fever feels like it went down too, so that's probably why you're feeling a little better." He gathered their dishes and took them into the bathroom before he returned to help her into their bedroom.

He lingered nearby as she peeled her pajamas off, finally ushering him out of the room when he tried to help her with her pants. He stepped into the bathroom and shut the other door before he turned the shower on, leaving the fan off so the steam could accumulate in the room.

When Sharon stepped into the room in her robe, a fair amount of steam had already formed. He hung her robe up when she stepped into the shower and then climbed in behind her. She glanced back at him and he wrapped his arm around her to hold her close, feeling the coughs that went through her body.

"You okay?" he asked needlessly.

She took a moment to catch her breath and breathe in the steam surrounding them before she nodded and leaned back into his chest.

"I'll help wash your hair. Just breathe." He rubbed her arm and guided her under the water, working his hands gently through her hair until it was thoroughly wet.

He just as gently washed and conditioned her hair, even scrubbing her body and rinsing all the soap off. She leaned against him and the wall as he worked, only stopping him to recover from a cough. When he was done and rinsed off himself, he pulled back to look at her.

"Are you ready to sit?" He scanned her face, taking in the flush the hot water brought to her skin.

"Yeah," she answered, a little breathless. "I'm tired."

"You haven't done anything upright in a few days. Let's get you in bed." He shut the water off and helped her out of the shower, surprised when she didn't protest his help.

He dried her off and bundled her in her robe for the short trip back to their room where he helped her into clean pajamas. She bundled herself into bed while Andy got the promised blanket from the closet. He plugged it in and draped it over her, tucking the sides in around her.

"All good?" He smiled and rubbed her back, gaining a soft grunt and cough in response. "I'm gonna shut the lights off and I'll be back."

She didn't respond this time and a small smile rested on his lips as he cleaned up the living room and made sure all the doors were locked. Sharon was sound asleep when he returned, the eating blanket not even fully warmed up. He smiled and shifted the blanket more to her side of the bed and crawled in under the top sheet, his arm automatically coming to rest against Sharon. He pressed a kiss to her covered shoulder and shut off the light, his eyes closing.

"Sleep well. I love you," he murmured, even if Sharon was already asleep.


End file.
